correct wouldn't trust the two faced RFL

Imagine if we won the Champo and NRC 3 years on the trot

No but seriously this is good news, not quite sure how they can come out and say this 3 years in advance though.

Keep the faith for July..........

Thats my opinon..........if thats ok ?

totally agree, when we go it will be for good, the way the Super League is run at the moment and the rule changing and tinkering every year it wont matter in the long run anyway, fans getting fed up when all the talk is about off the field events and not on it, not liking the path they are taking the game and their vision of where they want it to be in the future cos its definately not going to have anything to do with most of the heartland clubs(apart from a couple) that have kept RL going and served it well over the years

I don't understand why they've done this again, imo its all wrong.

Still they'll change there minds to suit anyway so its no big deal.

What is it that we can do though? Not sure how we can 'fight' this.

If you think it through though, it is no different to how it was before. You could win every Grand Final before franchising, but you only came up if you satisfied certain criteria (think Keighley). And if a big club or good stadium was in danger of being relegated, they just made a merger. Or if an expansion club was in danger, they just made them an exception (Broncos being allowed to go bust and then start again, or Catalan being given a three-year guarantee).

So the only difference then to now, in reality, is that it was annual franchising rather than three-yearly.

I still have hope for us to remain in Super League, however lets be realistic and think about the future of the club in the assumption that we will be spending at least 3 seasons in the National Leagues. It's quite easy to think everything is a conspiracy and the RFL hate us, but in reality, if we have 2 good seasons down there, keep modest crowds, win some trophies and have a stadium ready for the 2015 season, it would be very hard for the RFL to deny us a franchise.

TBH I initially thought that there would be no hope for us if we were to get relegated, however all things considered I've changed my mind, which is risky business (having an inch of faith in the RFL) but if we can get our act together we could come back to Super League with all the tools required for success.

This isn't to say I want us to go down! Just trying to be realistic and positive.

So. its all about STADIUMS and DEVELOPEMENT areas, you could be financially sound, have good community departments, have good junior developement but it won't count unless its fits in with above.

I just don't get it Slugger.

When are people on here going to realise...its a done deal already we are dead and burried I do not know why Red Hall waste everyones time and effort putting these bids forward...just put us out of our misery now Lewis.As it was a done deal about Widnes getting back in was.

As said before come three years down the line we will be behind Halifax Tolouse and Barrow.

The question I raise is how can this be developing the game at the end of the season when we go down all the other SL clubs will rape and pillage all our best young players and unless we stick with this policy next year we will be full of second rate Aussies and journeymen for life in NL.

Just dont get SL I am all for developing RL above and beyond the M62 corridor but what do Crusaders and Salford bring to SL...if the RFL can justify this id rather be in NL.

Were/are Hetherington, Caisley, Lindsay et al 'rugby league men' when they ran the game? Wasn't Sir Rodney at the top table when the Super League was first announced?

If memory serves me right Keighley never won. Grand final, they were denied promotion when SL came into existence and at the same time Us, Fev and a few others were culled.

Hunslet were denied and Dewsbury chose not to apply.

For all our French-speaking readers...

This statement has only been made to keep Barrow happy, IMO, and any other club with an owner with a bit of cash to spend. 2015 is a long time away in rugby league. The governing body could be the proud owners of a stadium with a Conference-level football team as tenants by then.